Immigrants: HAM DNA Project

HAM Surname DNA Project

Research through Genetics

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Early HAM Immigrants

One of the goals of the Project is to obtain DNA evidence built by matching similar DNA sequences. The independent research for each group, combined with the DNA evidence should show that each "group" will have a common ancestor.

The grouping should help to determine which immigrant ancestors that we should be looking for:

Joseph HAM, 1621 Virginia - Joseph arrived on board the ship Warrick to Virginia in 1621, at the age of 16. Originally an indentured servant to Albiano LUPO, eventually served his seven years and became a free man. Joseph HAM married Mary PEAD, the widow of John PEAD. Joseph filed his will in 1637, which was probated in 1638. His will mentions the children of John PEAD: "son and daughter in law" John PEAD and Catherine PEAD. Joseph HAM is usually believed not to have had any HAM children.

William HAM, 1635 Maine - William arrived at Richmond Isle on board the ship Speedwell. A member of the Trelawny Expedition, originally contracted to fish. He was in Exeter, New Hampshire in 1645, and removed to Portsmouth, NH in 1652 where he serves as a Selectman. At least one source says that William was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. William HAM died in 1672, leaving at least two children, Matthew HAM and Elizabeth HAM.

Jerome HAM, 1652 Virginia - Jerome HAM begins to appear in James City County, VA in 1652, where he patented 1050 acres with Lt. Col. BELLEW. Later becomes High Sheriff of York County, and records of his duties can be found in various surrounding Counties of the period. Eventually becomes Burgess of York County, VA. Jerome marries Sibella ____, and has two children, Elizabeth and Jerome HAM, Jr. Jerome dies in May, 1659, shortly after being assigned to a trip on the ship Virginia Merchant. He left a pregnant wife and daughter.

George HAM, 1660 Maryland - George HAM immigrates to Maryland in 1660. No further information.

Rosse HAMM, 1662 Virginia - Rosse HAMM apprenticed in Bristol, England to serve four years in Virginia as an indentured servant bound to John BEARE. NFI

John HAM,   1665 New Hampshire - John was born 1649 in England, and arrived in Dover, New Hampshire in 1665 where he appears on the Tax Lists of Cochecho (Dover) in that year. Married Mary HEARD in 1668. Their first homestead was at "Tolend" near the second falls of the Cochecho. Later, they moved to another farm below Garrison Hill, Dover. John dies in 1727, and leaves his will in Exeter, New Hampshire naming nine children.

Thomas HAMMS, 1667 Virginia - Thomas HAMMS apprenticed in Bristol, England to serve four years in Virginia as an indentured servant bound to Edward POORE. No further information, unless this is the same as the Thomas HAMMEN in (Old) Rappahannock County, VA in 1684, or the Thomas HAMM in King William County in 1720.

Richard HAM, 1668 Virginia -   Richard HAM immigrates to York County, Virginia by Sep, 1668. Transported by Edward Chesman. The previous record that I have for a Richard HAM is in County Cornwall, England. Richard HAM files will in London with the Prerogative Court of Canterbury in London Jun, 11, 1668. Richard a gunner of the Pincke Bantam Merchant ship. Probated in June of 1669. Now, it was customary to file a will prior to taking the perilous trip to the Americas. The Prerogative Court of Canterbury is where wills were filed if you held lands in a foreign country. Since his will is probated in 1669, it is assumed that the Richard HAM of Cornwall, England died by June of 1669. The next account of a Richard HAM that I have is in 1689 in Old Rappahannock County, Virginia. Is it coincidence that he is in the same County as Manuel HAM? The descendants of the Richard HAM of Surry County, Virginia (from 1694) is one of the better documented HAM lines in Virginia. His descendants are later found in Wayne County, North Carolina. With participants from Cornwall, and perhaps haplotype grouping from the Wayne County HAM lines, we may help resolve the question of Richard HAM's origins.

Joseph HAM, 1672 Maryland - Joseph HAM immigrates to Maryland in 1672. No further information.

Emanuel HAM (or Manuel HAM), 1674 Maryland - Emanuel HAM immigrates to Maryland in 1674. Perhaps married Sarah BRUTON of Anne Arundel County, MD. Manuel appears in (Old) Rappahannock County, VA in 1689, and his estate inventory papers appear in Westmoreland County, VA in 1708/09. No mention of any children, signed by wife Sarah HAM.

... And so on. By 1700 we can see that we have potentially a half dozen HAM lines in America that could have survived.

Therefore, one of the goals here is to split the fine lines between the genetic groupings. Perhaps this will enable us to focus future research upon the HAM lines that were more likely to have survived.

Another goal should be produced as a side effect, that being to help determine countries of origin, especially as it pertains to the surviving lines.

A similar side effect will be that this testing will enable us to determine Native American ancestors. Just as some HAM lines presume descent from Ireland, Scotland, England, and Germany, there exist some HAM lines that believe that they are of Native American descent.   This is something that eventually, we should be able to determine.

For example, if your ancestor was an African American slave that took on the HAM Surname after gaining freedom, three participants in that line would establish the haplotype group to which the family belongs. That haplogroup then can provide clues to the original lines in Africa who have that haplogroup.

Later, we will be able to determine the Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA, which I call "Mr. Circa"), which may tell us something about our Paleo HAM ancestor that first arrived in Europe. Our main interest here, of course is to split the fine lines of our more recent ancestors.

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